


Half a Whole

by CityZenShark



Series: Only Half of Things [1]
Category: VALORANT (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Freeform, Gen, Human Experimentation, I'll try not to make them OOC, Lore is still indefinite so, Medical Experimentation, Sova is babushka's boy, Valorant being a family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26716069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CityZenShark/pseuds/CityZenShark
Summary: Viper is captured by her past and vulnerable Sova is caught in the crossfire. Despite his weakened state, he will not let her deal with it alone.ON HIATUS
Relationships: Sova/Viper (VALORANT)
Series: Only Half of Things [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2003296
Comments: 23
Kudos: 60





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Valorant has quite a world but until the next cinematics, we have no idea what the lore really is. This story has been in my mind for a while and I just need to get it out. I hope I don't make them too out of character. Enjoy!

Sova has never been on an operation table. The closest thing to it was the doctor's house in a village so deep in the wilderness. He was only a child that time, still clinging to his grandparents' arms. He thought having a broken bone was the worse feeling in the world. If only it were true.

Sova could not describe the pain he felt now. The world was shaking yet his body was still. The air went from hot to cold rapidly. He can't breathe. He tried to take a deep breath only for his ribs to protest, giving out more pain throughout his body.

His legs -- His legs were another story. He felt nothing from them. His toes, his knees, the similar metal strap that held his hands down. Nothing.

He shouldn't be scared. What good a hunter is if they are frightened by their prey?

Realisation weighed heavy in his mid. He was not the hunter today. He was the prey. A prey ready to be hung as trophy.

"Get up, Sova! Get up!"

His head rolled to the direction of the voice. With a lot of effort, he cracked his real eye open. Everything was a patch of steel grey. He couldn't tell if the room was dim or his sight was failing. Standing out of the grey patches was a figure in green.

"Get up! I know you're tougher than this!"

Viper... It was Viper. She hardly showed she cared. Sova almost did not believe his ears. Her scream sounded more like a plea despite the usual venom in her voice. She was afraid. Why was she afraid?

What made her afraid?

He heard metallic door slide open as light pooled into his sight. He shut his eyes in pain. A new voice came in. Whoever it belonged to, it was hushed. Sova managed to pick up murmurs and broken words that flew past his head before he had a chance to make sense of them. A sharp pain stung his head and blackness began to claw him back. He tried to fight back into consciousness but failed. The last thing he heard was the new voice.

"I hope you are prepared for the tests, hunter. This will be extremely painful."

He should have called Babushka when he had the time...


	2. Symptoms I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's start from the beginning.

**TWENTY DAYS AGO**

"Paintball!" Raze yelled with a fist in the air. "That's exactly what we're gonna do for this weekend's training: paintball fight!"

Heads turned to the bomber. After a whole week straight of missions, they took a few days break from both missions and training. Some were relaxing in the lounge area of the base which was more of a kitchen, dining and living room in one wide room, like that of a small apartment. Sage took the kitchen to make lunch while Sova was reading a book on the dining table. Phoenix and Jett took the long couch facing directly the television, browsing through their phones. Brimstone sat at another sofa watching the TV with much boredom.

Phoenix spoke up first, "You serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Where are we going to get paintball guns?" asked Jett.

"Don't have to. Killjoy made some out of the broken guns."

"Are they safe?" asked Brimstone, raising a brow.

"Absolutely."

"And the paintballs?" Sage asked from the kitchen.

"Leave those to me!" Raze answered, pointing a thumb to herself and smiling ear to ear.

Phoenix raised a hand with his phone, "Count me in!"

"Me too!" Jett followed.

"Great! You, Brimstone?"

Brimstone sighed, "Fine by me," and resumed to stare at the large screen. Sage told Raze to tell a precaution to Killjoy so the guns won't fire as strong as proper guns. Raze reassured her she will. The bomber then went to Sova.

"Have you ever played paintball, Sovie?"

"No, never, Raze." His childhood home did not have a place to make a field for adults to play in. Let alone a totally safe open field. "It's like deathmatch in shooting games, right?"

Raze snapped her fingers, "Bingo! You just shoot anybody you see. Except paintballs doesn't fly like a bullet. You have to aim a little higher to hit the body."

"I see."

Raze smiled more as her eyes fell to the open book. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, this," Sova showed her the cover. "It's a book about Slav folklore. I've had this for a while but never finished it."

"Huh. Didn't know you're into fairytales."

"It's mythology."

Raze shrugged and muttered "Alright." She bid goodbye and rush off to tell the remaining agents around base.

Sova went through the book until Sage announced lunch was ready. He already knew most of it through Babushka's bedtime stories. More like warning stories. "Don't wander the woods alone or you'll find a witch pretending to be me," she often said back when he was a rebellious youngster. Sova used to believe the mystical. As he became a hunter his belief to that loosened, prioritizing the clear dangers of the tundra. Babushka hated how easy he brushed off mystic warnings. He failed to convince her he never fully denied them. The face she made can rival portraits from the renaissance. Oh, how the joke annoyed her.

_Is she doing well?_

The vagrant Chinese food turned stale. Sova cleaned up his plate and went to his room. He pulled an outdated flip phone and composed an SMS. Who uses SMS these days? No one can find the base and no one can find Babushka. It should be near night time in her place. She must be tending the poultry and preparing dinner. She might be on her phone in between those works. Sova tapped away:

_TO: HOME_

_FROM: S_

_HOW ARE YOU? I AM WELL. FRIENDS AND ME SAFE. NO TROUBLE._

His thumbs hung over the buttons for a moment.

_I MISS YOU._

Sova stared at the message. He erased the last three words. He need not to worry Babushka more than he has. However, won't she feel hurt? She might think he's ignoring her. He typed the words again and punched the send button. He let out a long sigh. He can't be missing home now. He reminded himself of the blessings he had now; no snow, no predators or rival hunters eyeing on him, food and water always available. If he were never a hunter, the tundra was mere a freezing wasteland. It wasn't. He was born there; he grew up there. There was life in the seemingly whiteness of nothing.

An aching sensation urged him to visit there. He lied down on his bed and nap away the desire.

He reminded himself, _Valorant Protocol needs me more. Babushka will understand._

A short sudden ache stung his lower back.

* * *

**EIGHTEEN DAYS AGO**

Sova woke Saturday morning feeling tingling in his wrists. He brushed it off, giving himself a quick massage and headed for the Range. As Raze proposed, they will have paintball fight. The youngest four alongside Breach were over the moon. The rest varied from being neutral to resilient of the idea. Although since Brimstone had approved it, nobody can deny.

One of the latter was Viper. Sova respected Viper. Unlike him, she had experience in military just like Brimstone (and perhaps Omen, too). She was a superior; he was a rookie. He kept a good distance from her as do everyone else due to her considerations to 'accidentally' lock them in her lab if they had gotten in her nerves. Better safe than sorry. However, Sova had a strong urge to get to know her more.

"I can't believe the old man agreed with this." Viper muttered between her teeth.

"Relax, dear," purred Reyna who adjusted a painted Ghost in hand. "I think it's a great idea. We could use rougher training once in a while."

"I like it," Omen said, earning a glare from the chemist. "A good reason to give them bruises and get away with it."

Amusement replaced her glare. "Good point."

Killjoy prodded to the front with the paintball-modified Bulldog on her shoulder. "Alright, folks, I will be the coach for today's training. Thank you, thank you! We will go through four rounds of Spike Rush with three heads per team. Raze, Brim and Sage are Defender Team One; Viper, Reyna and I are Defender Team Two. Jett, Omen and Breach are Attacking Team One while Sova, Phoenix and Cypher are Attacking Team Two. Aim only at the body. Anyone who shoots at the head is out for the round. Any questions?"

The young Duelist trio raised their hands.

Brimstone answered, "Absolutely no abilities." The three deflated. "Same goes to us tech users. It's overdue that we must improve our awareness than to rely on tricks. You want me to remind you how many times our clones managed sneak past our noses?"

Everyone flinched; a few groaned. "Good. Now let's get started. Team One!"

Both Team Two observed the first match on the rooves of the Range. Each judging and calculating tactics of Team Ones; promptly put up bets that if their calculations were true, they'd be relieved from cleanup work. Team Ones ended in a draw with Cypher winning the guessing bet. Sova can sense the Moroccan smirking under his mask. Killjoy then announced for Team Two to take position.

The Range was nowhere as big as the fields they've been. It would be easy for defenders to spot them and block out the 'plant site'. Thus, Sova positioned to stay at the high point in his team's starting side with the paintball Operator. Raze and Jett whooped in excitement from the roof.

First round began, immediately Sova fired at Reyna's shoulder. The vampire was taken by surprise, giving Phoenix the opportunity to shoot her three more times at her abdomen. Reyna out. Sova then aimed at Killjoy who took quick peeks behind a wall. He cannot pull the trigger without risking her eye. Cypher slid near her spot and fired at her back five times. Two down, one to go. The hunter scanned the site for Viper but she was nowhere to be seen. Cypher planted the false spike when Sova felt warm metal kissing his back.

"Shh..."

A shiver went down his spine. He was too slow to disarm her as Viper fired her paintball Shorty. Pain stung his back as paint splashed to his shirt and hair. I didn't hear her coming. Normally, he'd be ashamed of himself to lose sight of his target. The shame was small, instead, he felt more tired. The paintball Operator was suddenly harder to lift.

He watched Viper taking out Cypher and Phoenix like a snake fending off another snake. She won the round. Sova watched the chemist in awe. He regained his focus as Brimstone shouted something about awareness.

 _Stay aware, my boy,_ Dedushka told him a long time ago. _You might be hunting the same deer the tiger hunts. Better that way than having to challenge the tiger for a carcass. Make sure you do not let the tiger hunt you back._

Sova's lasting mistake was letting his other self go. He did the same with Viper. Sure, she was ally, but if it were her copy he'd be dead before he could notice her.

They played another even round before switching sides. Sova and his team -- now defending -- managed to push back the other trio and won back two points. They eventually set an extra round with both teams dissatisfied of their wins while the remaining agents were amused watching the whole match. Sova’s team planned to defuse the spike in secret. It almost worked. Cypher and Phoenix made a distraction while Sova went to defuse. Again, he felt the barrels of Viper’s shorty on his back.

“Nice try, pretty boy,” she sneered.

Sova spun around and raise a hand to chop the gun off her hand. Once he hit her wrist, his hand buzzed, sending an electric-like wave up to his arm. He recoiled in shock. Viper ducked to pick up her shorty. The hunter quickly knocked her hard with his shoulder.

That’s when the ‘spike’ exploded, the shockwave pushing the two agents to the ground as paint splattered the site like a firework. Sova’s ears ringed – his world swayed around him.

Raze broke it with a loud cheer, “Yeah! It finally exploded!”

“How much paint do you have, Izzy? This seems like a bucket full.” A bewildered Cypher muttered.

“Raze,” Brimstone began. “What did I say about putting in explosives?”

Breach butted in, “Don’t suck out the fun, old man. It’s not like she copied that life-sucking blast.”

“Sure. Then how are we going to clean up all that before they dry?”

“I have the tools—don’t worry about it!” Raze said.

“Viper, Sova, are you two alright?” Sage called out.

Sova was still processing how much paint had coated his body. The back of his trousers and shirt were fully coated. It might be impossible to remove the paint from them entirely. Worse, some went deep into his hair. He’s going to take a _long_ shower.

Viper was surprisingly spared, save for specks of colours on her hair and cheeks. She seemed better than him. Her green eyes bore into his. He noticed how her eyes gleam like emeralds. Was it him or was her face really close? Why was she turning red?

“Yo, Sova! Buy her a drink first.” Phoenix whooped, snapping the Russian out of his trance. He fell on top of her!

“Get. Off.”

Sova quickly rolled to his side at Viper’s threatening tone. She glared at him as though she ought to throw him into her acid pit before yelling at Raze for the mess and stomped off. The Brazilian only showed her tongue at the chemist.

Breach got down with the rest of Team One and approached the hunter. “Who knew you’re into sadistic women,” he said, smirking, giving out a hand.

“Shut up.” Sova blurted out, grasping his bionic hand to stand up. The Swede laughed aloud.

* * *

**SEVENTEEN DAYS AGO**

It took an entire day for the exhaustion to lift.

He didn’t want to tell Sage about it. He assumed it was because he did not do his daily exercise the day before. A proper rest and it’ll go away. Why he felt tired after mere days of no fighting was strange. Well, he felt normal now so there was no need to worry.

Every Sunday was exercise day. Everyone woke up at six a.m. to proceed mandatory schedule of aerobics, muscle building, jogging and cardio tests. There were still paint decorating the Range. Raze joked she might paint another mural on the floor where the fake spike exploded, much to Brimstone’s bemusement. Him _and_ Viper.

She hardly spoke a word. It was not surprising, since she was the ‘talk only when must’ kind of person. But the way she avoided Sova by distance and eye contact made him feel perplexed. He assumed yesterday’s incident was the reason so he gave her the space.

As exercise time almost ended, everyone left on their own to cool down. Sova joined Sage in meditating. She was a monk after all. Sova merely found it a good way to balance his own breathing and relax his muscle. Aside those, Sage was happy for the company. He doubted majority were as religious as her.

So there the two were sitting cross-legged under a tree taking in the atmosphere in silence. They listened to the strong wind reminding they were on a floating island, the cowing of birds flocking about, the vibration of the miniature Rift atop of the Range.

_Breath in…_

_Hold…_

_Breathe out._

He thought of peaceful things, happy things, fortunate events. He thought of the many times Protocol had escaped life or death situation.

He thought of the times where they saved each other’s lives no matter how much they irate each other just as much. 

He thought of the people whose lives they unknowingly saved. Several of the world’s government called them terrorists. Victims of Kingdom Corp. saw them as saviors.

He thought of a certain old woman living in a secluded farm away from a community. Alone with an old cell phone connecting to the only family she has left.

His heart cracked.

_Breathe in…_

_Hold…_

_Breathe out._

_I am doing this for her. Kingdom would’ve destroyed my home if it weren’t for me. She is safe. She is stronger than she looks._

_Breathe in…_

_Hold…_

_Breath—_

Something stabbed his lung. Sova shut his eyes tightly to shut out the pain.

“Are you alright, Sova?” Sage asked quietly from his side, her concern clear.

“I’m—” Sova flinched as his lungs were stabbed again. He breathed smally, “I’m fine. It’s just wind.”

The stabbing stopped after what felt like forever; he gasped the air out. “I’m ok,” he assured the healer, less than to himself. Sova opened his eyes only for sunlight to sting them as if he had been in a dark place.

Sage ended the meditation and swiftly cupped his face in her hands. She probed him various questions from when he started having this to when was the last he felt it. Her main suspicion was if the paintball fight had caused it.

“No, I’m sure yesterday’s fight had nothing to do with it.” Sova swatted her fussy hands. “Sage, I’m ok now.”

Sage gave him a look. “I advise you not to hide from me. I’ve had it with Cypher messing with my data, and Jett with her reckless tendencies. Don’t make me add you to the list.”

An angry Sage was something you dared naught to see. “I hear you.” Sova said with a smile.

By noon, he went back to his room feeling his bones weighing on him. Even a cold shower didn’t help. His had no appetite either. So Sova opened the old phone hoping to see a message notification, and there was! He read opened it in the speed of light.

TO: S

FROM: HOME

ALL IS WELL. I AM HEALTHY. FARM IS GOOD. SPENT TIME WITH OLD LADIES IN VILLAGE.

HOW IS WORK? FRIENDS NICE?

CALL ME WHEN YOU CAN.

I MISS YOU TOO.

A message from Babushka always put him at ease. Sova typed a new message to answer her questions. The childish part of him hoped she will reply on the same day. He told her how work was normal as usual, his friends were as friends should be despite the hidden barriers (of course, he didn’t write that down). He cannot call her, sadly. Brimstone ordered that any calls unrelated to the Protocol must be done on the mainland. Sova disliked defying his captain but getting communication into his home region was hard enough.

Sova was done with the message and went pressed sent. His thumb stopped on the button.

He reread his message. “What?” He rubbed his eyes and reread again.

TO: HOME

FROM: S

WORK IF NOALM.. FIERNDS ARE NIEC.

SORRY, I CAMOT CAAL. I PORMISE I WILL.

I LOVE YOU.

_That’s odd._ He was certain he typed every word perfectly. He fixed it word by word then read it for the fourth time to be sure.

_That was really odd. What just happened?_

* * *

**FIFTEEN DAYS AGO**

First his legs, now his head.

Sova’s sleep was disturbed by a growing ache in his thighs. He tried to ignore it until it became unbearable—he forced himself out of bed three in the morning and drank a cup of warm milk. It worked though barely. He went back to bed and the aches came biting back. He forced his eyes shut only wake up what seemed like a blink later.

Cue mid-morning, Brimstone called in all agents for a meeting. He informed them the typical stuff. Kingdom’s plans, riots, Triad’s schemes, possible plans to steal Radianite, and on and on. Sova would be one of those who take in every word without trouble. Not today, apparently. He couldn’t even look at the holo-screen unless he squinted. The back of his eyes was pounding. Worst, he got called out for it.

“Playing games all night, Sova?” Brimstone questioned, his face showing slight disappointment. _Slight._

“No, captain,” the hunter quickly replied. “I was having a bit of headache. That is all.”

“Uh-huh. Which part that’s giving you a headache?”

Just hearing Brimstone’s tone, it clicked that he was not having a good morning either. “None, captain.” Sova answered coolly. The older man gave him one last stare before continuing the brief.

Once meeting ended, he called Sova to stay behind. The hunter dreaded what he wanted to talk about.

“You’ve been communicating with someone on the mainland.” The sergeant crossed his arms.

Sova did his best not to be surprised. _Cypher must’ve told him,_ he assumed. The Moroccan will know everyone’s secrets if he had yet to.

“How long have you been doing this?” his leader pressed on.

“Since we moved to this base.”

“Who’s your contact?” Brimstone gave Sova the look he gave to enemies who ran pass him without noticing.

Sova felt the floor tremble as he carefully answered, “My grandmother.”

Just like that, the captain’s face relaxed. “Just your grandmother?”

“Yes.”

Everyone knew Sova admired his grandmother. He spoke of her many times and never hide how much he loved her. It was selfish of him. His teammates had little to no one missing them, or a home willing to accept them again.

“You’re lucky only two people know you’ve been keeping touch with someone outside of protocol, myself included.” Brimstone said, confirming Sova’s assumption. “I’d rather give you a warning but I cannot do that unless you let Cypher or Killjoy secure the line of the device you’re using. That or you get rid of it and contact her only when you’re on the mainland like everybody else. Understand?”

“I understand, captain.”

“Dismissed.”

Sova did as Brimstone requested. He took the old phone and brought it to Cypher in his workshop, who squinted his bionic eyes suspiciously. “You’ve been in contact this whole time?”

Sova blinked. “I thought… Brimstone said he and someone else knew I’m keeping touch with my babushka. It wasn’t you?”

“I shamefully have to admit I had no idea until now.”

“Then who…?”

“It was me.”

The two men twirled to the entrance door and there stood Viper.


	3. Symptoms II

**CONTINUED – FIFTEEN DAYS AGO**

To summarize Controllers, they were the site-takers. They block views of potential snipers and ambushers with their smokes. Brimstone has his orbital strike to rid enemies if they were cornered. Omen has his paranoia that disrupts their senses, startling them long enough to kill them. Viper's toxins were suffocating, giving her and the Protocol the advantage in terms of strength. As far as he knew, she was not the sneaky type.

"What?" Sova stared at her, mouth agape. "How did you find out?" Viper of all people.

"It's obvious," she answered matter-of-factly.

Sova scoffed, "Obvious. Obvious? I have no idea what you mean. I hardly use phones in front of anybody!"

"Which is why I thought you're hiding something. How else are you talking about your grandmother as if she had been visiting you? Protocol don't accept visitors, even if they're our higher-ups."

Then does that mean...

Sova felt his blood rushing up his neck. "You've been snooping my room." 

Viper sighed like she expected him to realize it long ago.

The air around the Russian turned hot. He paced towards the chemist and grab her by the collar of her shirt. Shock spread her face and was quickly replaced by a defensive stance.

"What right do you have to snoop into my room?" Sova sneered between his teeth. "Have I not been nice to you this entire time? Why did you?!"

Viper's eyes bore straight into his, daring him to strike. "I'm doing this for our safety, hunter. You, me, and our comrades. You would've done the same, now, won't you?"

He grasped her collar tighter and higher. "I would have talked to that person first instead of breaking their privacy."

Viper wasn't impressed of his answer. "Aren't you a hunter? I didn't expect a hunter who killed men and animals to be this soft. Quite a disappointment."

His pupils dilated. A good hunter knew when to kill -- which to spare. A good hunter strives with the environment by blending in and respect the natural order. A true hunter value the lives of the wilderness no matter the prey, predator, friend or rival. A true hunter will not kill a tiger if it never attacked him first. What good was a hunter who killed for fun? One who love death. Sova didn't love death. It took Dedushka away like it did to his parents. It made Babushka stopped talking about them entirely.

"Sova." A gloved hand with brass knuckles came to his shoulder. He had forgotten he was in Cypher's workshop. The Moroccan spoke to him in a gentle yet firm tone, "Sova, let her go. I know you are angry at her and you have the right to, but let's not make this worse. Let her go before somebody sees you."

His hands shook for a beat and released the grip. Viper stumbled back with her fists clenched. Cypher swiftly put himself in between the two, a hand on the taller man's chest and another holding off the chemist.

"I'd rather not witness a fight in front of my workshop. Preferably, at all, please. Sova, I will try to secure your cell phone's line the best I can. By then, you can talk to your grandmother without risking exposure of our base. Your secret is safe with me. Miss Viper, will you kindly return to your work while I do mine? You saw how our leader Brimstone is not in a good mood today. It's best we don't add more problems. Good?"

"Da’."

"Fine." Viper walked down the hall taking in Sova’s glare all too casually.

His blood turned hot.

“Sova.” The Russian whipped his head to Cypher who now spoke cautiously. “How about you go get breakfast. I haven’t seen you in the kitchen before the brief.”

Regret hit him at the masked man’s reaction; his anger depleted albeit slightly.

“Okay…” He sighed and left the workshop.

His heart throbbed under his chest. His outburst at Viper was unnecessary. Sure, she invaded his privacy but she did it for everyone’s safety. She had a good reason for it. _He_ was the one risking their lives. The thought frustrated him even more.

Sova put a hand over his chest, breathing hard.

_Remember what Babushka said, Sova. Anger is dangerous fire. Don’t let it replace the fire of life._

Out of the blue, that same hand began to tremble.

* * *

Hours went by and the trembles hasn’t stopped.

Sova did everything he thought of. He massaged his hand, wore a wrist warmer, ate meals and did his chores. The tremors still went on. The tiredness from the paintball fight came back as well. Fortunately, it was not as bad but now he has two things to hide from people.

That night was his turn to make dinner. He asked everyone whether they wanted vegetables or meat (everyone except Viper) while hiding his hand behind his back. He hoped Sage failed to notice. Luckily, she was busy lecturing and tendering Jett who sprained her ankle for the umptieth time. They settled on meat, so Sova decided to make beef stroganoff—Babushka’s version, and salad for Sage—also Babushka’s version. He was glad the shaking was on his non-dominant hand or he might accidentally cut his fingers with the beef. He was softening the pasta and making beef broth when Cypher joined him in the kitchen.

“I have secured your line,” he told him in a low voice. “It is already unlikely for it to be tapped since the model is decades old. Quite a smart of you to use it.”

Sova thanked him and joked, “What could the Protocol do without you?”

“The Protocol will be undeniably clueless.” The hacker joked back, joining in the cooking. Sova laughed along.

Sova managed to avoid causing a mess. Thank God Cypher came to help out as he almost spilled the beef broth out of the frying pan. If the Moroccan noticed his hand shaking, he didn’t say. Better if he didn’t notice at all. Cypher did give him side-eyes from time to time. It’s hard to tell due to his bionic eyes, but Sova’s hunter training caught them. He feigned ignorance.

As they were setting out the plates, Cypher spoke up. “You know, Sova, I looked into everyone’s records since before Recruit Day. I mean _everything_ about everyone.”

“Not so surprising. That’s what you do.” Sova replied casually.

Cypher cleared his throat. “Well, I’m curious. Out of everyone else, you are most peculiar. You have no school records, no hospital records or even a birth certificate.”

Sova stopped pouring the sauce on the pasta.

“Like I said,” Cypher continued. “I am merely curious. But I’d like to hear it from you yourself. How come there are no records about you? I haven’t figured out your real name either.”

Sova stared at the plate for a moment. A long moment.

Babushka told him to never reveal his name to outsiders, even the most trusted ones. Only Babushka called him by his real name. The last time a person out of family who called him that was the doctor in the village – and he died years before First Light. Since Dedushka passed away, Babushka forbid him from using his real name outside of home. At first, it hurt. Now, from hunter to mercenary, he heeded her words without question. He had to fight back the urge to tell his companions his real name. He knew some of theirs—why can’t they know his?

The sound of Jett’s tailwind propelled the room, followed by rushing steps from Raze and Phoenix.

Jett eyed the food, gleaming. “Man, that looks good!”

“Mmm! I can smell this all day!” Raze smelled the air. Phoenix looked like he’s about to drool.

Sova turned to Jett, wondering why she was allowed to tailwind with a sprain. The Korean scoffed. As if on cue, Sage arrived and proceed to give the wind Radiant an earful. They had a good laugh and proceed with dinner as other agents came in. The entire time, Sova did his best to avoid Viper without making it obvious. She—thankfully—grabbed her own plate and ate elsewhere.

Sova’s relief didn’t last long.

Maybe it was morning’s incident – maybe it was Cypher’s question.

Maybe something else happened without him realizing it because his other hand started to tremble.

They were having a chit chat on the dining table, meals halfway done. Sova lifted his mug for a sip when it shook so vigorous, the water spilled on him.

He laughed it off, fooling the rest to follow. He _guessed_ they were fooled—their eyes were keener than that. He knew, he pretended they were.

His heart pounded once more.

* * *

Cypher approached him just as he was about enter his bedroom.

“Sova, about what I asked you, you don’t need to tell me.”

Sova stared at him for a minute. “Tell you about what?”

“About your private info. I asked you about it when we make dinner, remember?”

A brief silence. The Russian’s eyes bounced left and right. “Sorry, when did you ask that?”

Cypher crooked his brows underneath his mask. Sova was hardly the forgetful type. “Are you alright?”

“Yes…?”

Awkward silence fell through. Both could sense a large question mark forming atop of each other’s heads. Cypher then shrugged, “Never mind. Goodnight, Sova.”

“Goodnight, Cypher.” Bid Sova as he closed the door.

Cypher took one last glance at the hunter’s bedroom door, sensing something wasn’t right.

* * *

**FOURTEEN DAYS AGO**

Sova lulled to sleep ignoring his trembling hands and pounding heart. His consciousness drift in the blissful darkness, convincing himself he was sleeping in his room at home—at Babushka’s farm.

High pitched pinging disrupted it.

The digital clock across his bed greeted him with a bright 0335. On his bedside table, his comm piece’s indicator blinked on sync with the double pings. His first instinct was to grab the piece and stuff it in the drawer. His sense of duty reacted first so he activated it.

“ _Agent 06 codename: Sova. You are requested at Meeting Room 1 for mission debrief. ETA: seven minutes.”_

Usually, Sova would sit up before he activated his comm piece. He couldn’t. The tremors have stopped but now his entire body was sluggish. The seemed to weigh five times than it was. He fumbled it and put it back on the table only for it to fall on the floor. He stretched out to reach it—

“Urgh!”

An electric wave pulsed from his neck, sending a painful wave down his spine to his whole body. Everything became numb.

_What—what—what—?_

His body began to pull him down from his bed. He tried his hardest to heave himself up but failed – he fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Vibrating numbness attacked him whole.

His breath ceased for a split second. He lay there, eyes wide open, no longer sleepy but fear clenched itself in the atmosphere. Sova attempted to move his fingers for the comm piece. If he could just hold its button, it will alert his awakened teammates.

His world went abuzz and his consciousness flew into nothingness.

The next thing he knew he was back on bed with a worried Sage hovering over him.

“Morning… Sage…” he croaked out.

Relief, disappointment and frustration washed over her face. She muttered something in Mandarin before changing to English, “What did I say about hiding things from me?”

 _I did not want to bother you._ “I didn’t mean to hide…”

She sighed, “Do you even realize where you are?”

“My room—” Sova stopped as his eyes dart around. He was in the med bay. “Oh.”

Sage put her hands on her hips. “Be thankful I was not called for today’s mission, _and_ that I woke up earlier than usual. Be more thankful somebody checked in on you.”

That explained how he got here. His height made it impossible for anyone other than Breach and Brimstone to carry him alone. It had to be one or both of them. Despite that, he hated the image of someone barging into his room. Worse when they did it in secret.

Curiosity got the better of him. “Who checked on me?”

“Viper did.”

 _What?_ “What…?”

“She stayed up all night researching and was about to sleep when she heard a noise in your room. She went in to check because she also heard you were in pain and that you didn’t answer the door. Then she got Brimstone and I there and found you passed out feverish.”

The sadistic chemist really cared. Sova knew her softness had not disappeared completely, but he could not let the grudge of her breaking his privacy go like that. He still has to thank her, though.

He tried to sit up only to be pushed down by the healer. “Rest first, Sova. I’m going to give you a few tests before you can have breakfast. You will spend one night here just to be sure.”

Sova sank back onto the pillow. “Ok… Thank you, Sage.”

* * *

**THIRTEEN DAYS AGO**

Like how they came (or so Sova thought), the aches disappeared. He felt normal again aside from a few nauseous waves when he turned his head too fast. Sage relieved him from the med bay telling him to inform her should he feel unwell again.

Brimstone’s foul mood turned fouler since Sova didn’t turn up yesterday. Despite their healer’s explanation, Brimstone kept frowning at his direction. The hunter can only apologize, doing his best not to look away in shame. The captain then grunted him some extra chores as punishment for the next few days before dismissing him.

Sova opted to start them early. He left for various areas of the base where no one was using at certain times. He had no desire to talk or to be approached. After cleaning the guns stored in the Range, Sova took the opportunity to practice his shooting. He had not held a gun in two weeks, but his hands screamed as if it was his first.

His painted Sheriff looked bigger and weighed heavier than he remembered. _You are imagining things, Sova,_ he told himself. _Lying in bed for a whole day does that to you._

He fired five times, only three bullets hit the bots.

If he said that aloud at home, Babushka would have scolded him. “You have no right to punish yourself. Learn and improve. It is no use to hurt yourself over a normal mistake.”

He aimed for the head; the bullet hit the bot’s shoulder.

His mistakes were not normal anymore. If he misses a one shot to save a teammate, they will die and their blood will be on his hands. Sage cannot use her Revive often. He feared if she did, something fatal will happen.

He made rapid fire at the popping bots. Bullets fly everywhere, from the floor to the walls. None landed a hit.

He cannot allow that to happen.

Not a single chance!

“Um… Sova?”

“What?!” the Russian barked.

Killjoy jumped back; her usual smug demeanor absent. “Uh… You’ve been here for quite a while. It’s past lunch already.”

 _Has it?_ He did not notice (much less cared).

“I saved some Schnitzel for you. Better hurry up or Raze will claim it her third plate.”

Speaking of food, Sova realized he had skipped breakfast. Damn it, he hoped Sage was not observing him. A lecture from that monk will be such a—

_—Why am I thinking like this?_

“Are you ok, Sova?” Killjoy asked him with worry on her face.

“I’m fine.” He put the Sherriff back in its place (more like tossing) and left the German alone, aware of her strange stare on his back.

He attempted to pass by the youngest trio playing a console game on the television. Raze noticed him as he was about to grab the food. He prepared for her loud greetings. To his delight, she just waved at him and gestured an invite for him to join them. He waved back, shook his head, and left for his room.

Automatically, he reached for the flip phone while setting his plate down his desk and munched a slice of Schnitzel. Babushka sent a new message. He opened it and his heart pummeled.

TO: S

FROM: HOME

FEELING ILL RIGHT NOW. IT’S NOT BAD—CAN STILL WORK.

ARE YOU HEALTHY?

EAT PROPER MEALS AND EXERCISE, OK.

I LOVE YOU.

How many times has he left a sick Babushka alone at home? He didn’t want to know. She has survived longer than his entirety alive, However, she was still an elderly. She cannot hunt like she used to. Any time she gets sick, it might be a sign of…

A sign she might…

 _Stop, Sova._ _She_ will not _die until your job is done._

Sova forced his lunch down his throat. He ignored how it protested the vagrant taste, almost making him feel he wanted to puke the food out.

His hands were shaking again.

He pounded a fist on the desk. _Keep it together, Sova. She won’t die while you’re away. Your job will be done, you will return home, and be with Babushka until the end._

He carried his plate back to the kitchen to clean. At the same time, the Duelists trio were creating a ruckus at the game. Raze was standing up without a controller. Phoenix and Jett were leaning from the couch towards the screen.

_Too loud. Too bright._

“Go that way, mijo!”

“Jett, you’re blocking the way!”

“I’m not the one who has the speed boost!”

_Too loud…_

“Phoenix – Phoenix, go up that ramp!”

“What ramp?! I don’t see a ramp!”

“It’s on your left, bird brain!”

_Too. Loud._

“He’s right there, Jett! Behind the trees!”

“Thanks!”

“I thought you’re on _my_ side, Raze!”

“I’m the spectator thanks to you burning the third controller, Phoenix.”

“It ain’t my fault! I never touched that controller.”

“Ask Breach, Raze. He must’ve crushed it with his hands.”

_Too. Damn. Loud._

“Hey, Sovie, have any idea who broke this controller?”

The plate thud hard in the sink, Sova swiftly picked it up making it looked like the bomber had surprised him. “I don’t know, Raze. I don’t play video games, remember?”

“Well, we didn’t move this console from the TV in weeks. Surely you can guess – being hunter and all.”

“I said I don’t know, Raze.”

She got closer to him; her aura too buoyant than he can handle. “Come on, Sovie!” she wined. “Could you look at it for a minute? Just tell us what you found and we’ll guess ourselves—”

“F^ck, Raze, I said I DON’T KNOW!”

The walls shook, the sound from the TV was no longer the loudest. Phoenix and Jett paused the game. Raze’s hype disappeared, replaced by shock and a bit of fear. A bit might be too light a word. The Brazilian took a few steps back.

“Ok, ok,” she said carefully, retreating to the TV area. “Sorry for bothering, amigo.”

Sova didn’t realize how much rage he was showing. He knew he had legitimately scared the Protocol’s bomber. He knew Phoenix and Jett had witnessed it, with the Korean expressing toxicity in her eyes. He knew what he had done.

Why can’t he realize how awful he did?

He cursed internally, and fled the room. By tomorrow word will go around. He will have to expect stares from his fellow agents, possibly another warning from Brimstone, besides facing the experience of people ‘walking on eggshells’ on him.

 _I messed up,_ Sova pondered sitting on his bed with hands in his hair. _I damned messed up. What is happening to me?_

* * *

**SEVEN DAYS AGO**

TO: S

FROM: HOME

I’M WELL NOW, ONLY A SMALL FLU. SLEPT A LOT SO DON’T WORRY.

REMEMBER ALYONA? SHE’S ONE OF YOUR FIRST FRIENDS. SHE BECAME THE VILLAGE’S DOCTOR AND GREAT, TOO.

ARE YOU ALRIGHT? I HAVE A FEELING YOU ARE NOT.

CALL ME, MY BOY.

PLEASE.

* * *

**FOUR DAYS AGO**

He was no idiot. He heard what Brimstone told Breach at base who whispered to Jett when they arrived at Split.

“… keep a close eye on him.”

Did the captain saw him a reckless teenager now? He can handle a mission. He survived the tundra; fighting in a concrete forest was nothing. Every area they’ve been were etched to his brain. He could do this!

“Don’t screw it up.” Jett jeered as she and Sova guard A site while the rest guard mid and B site.

Sova drew his bow and aimed a recon bolt near the ramps. It will bounce twice and land by the wall wear the enemy will crowd at—he was sure. Their location will be known and he will destroy them with his sonar.

It should have been that easy.

Instead, he missed every shot.

“What the hell, Sova?!”

Jett spoke out exactly what he thought. The recon bolt landed atop of the wall hiding them, not near the enemy. He took out his Owl Drone and managed to mark a Phoenix clone and a Cypher clone. Clones never have a double, but he saw two Phoenixes and two Cyphers.

_No, no, no, no—_

“Sova, come on! Was three weeks at base not enough resting time for you!”

_Shut up, Jett!_

He shot one sonar where the clones ran at after destroying his drone. First sonar found its mark. Second sonar hit one clone but didn’t kill it. Third sonar—

A miss.

Sova huffed in frustration; a swear escaped his mouth. He caught sight of Jett from the corner of his eye giving him the exact same expression she gave when he swore at base days ago.

_Who did I swear at? Have I apologized? Why can’t I remember?_

The Phoenix clone threw his Molotov at Jett’s direction, a flick of flame hit her lower leg. She used her tailwind backwards to A short. Sova quickly pulled a shock dart and fired at the fake Phoenix. It landed perfectly on its head and fell dead.

 _“Spike’s at B.”_ Viper said through the comm.

“We took their Phoenix down,” Jett comm back. “No sign of the Cypher clone.”

 _“I hear movement in sewers.”_ Phoenix reported.

 _“I lost sight of their Sova,”_ Breach warned. _“I think he went to B tower through the smokes. Viper?”_

_“Negative. Phoenix?”_

_“No ones coming out of the sewer. My guess he’s camping. Keeping an eye out.”_

_“Roger that. Jett?”_

“I’m hearing nothing. I’m going to check the vent.”

_“Be careful. Sova, what about you?”_

He raised a hand to press the comm on his ear—his suddenly heavy hand—on the wrong ear. He lifted his other hand to the comm and stretched his neck, hoping it would relieve the pounding in his head.

Then everything felt wrong.

He knew it wasn’t the weather, or the close calls, or even Jett’s irritating words. Everything just felt … wrong.

The afternoon sun glared into his world. Doors and openings of A site multiplied. His fingers began to twitch, hand trembling, his knees threatening to give away. A fuzzy sensation—the same fuzzy sensation that knocked him out two weeks ago—biting at every inch of his body.

Somebody was calling him really close to his ear.

Somebody else was calling him, a person with white hair and blue shirt standing in front of him.

They—She can help.

_What was her name?_

_Jett. She’s Jett. She can help._

Before he could utter a word, his body engulfed into a sea of numbness and the floor rushed to meet him. The last thing he knew was Jett swearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch out watch out! I might put the upcoming agent Skye in this instead of my OC once she comes out and I get an hands-on experience on playing as her. On the other note, new semester is starting despite COVID cases skyrocketing in my country. This story might take longer to finish than I want it to but I will try when I can.
> 
> Take care, y'all!  
> \- 9 Oct 2020


	4. Diagnosing I

**Continued – FOUR DAYS AGO**

Viper was ready to yell through the comms when Sova did not answer immediately. That’s when Jett yelled instead, sounded panicking.

_“Sova’s down!”_

Viper responded first, “What happened?” followed shortly by Phoenix and Breach’s “What?”

 _“I don’t know—he just collapsed! Dude, why didn’t you tell you were sick?!”_ There was a strain in her last sentence. Viper guessed the wind Radiant was dragging him to safe spot.

The chemist pressed her comm. “Jett, I’m coming to you. Do not scout for the clones. I repeat, _do not_ scout for the clones! Phoenix, Breach, guard the spike.”

 _“I hear you,”_ Phoenix affirmed.

 _“Gotcha—”_ a sound of bullets hitting metal deafened Breach’s line. The Swede swore. _“Their Sage is here!”_

Viper swore, her legs ready to sprint to A site. She took a last glance at the spike where Phoenix appeared and hid in a corner near it, giving her a thumbs up. Viper signaled back and sprinted away.

* * *

_He was no longer at Split. He was nowhere near the train station taking over the slums in Japan. There was no sound of the city, or the gunshots, or even Jett who was supposed to be with him._

_He was in the woods, standing alone among a hundred trees. Snow glide down from the grey sky. There was an odd silence around him._ This isn’t right, _he thought. But it felt real. So, so real._

_Sova raise a hand over his mouth to his breath. He looked at that hand and quickly inspect the other. He was not wearing his archer gloves anymore. His owl drone bracer was nowhere. His fingers and palms had lost the callouses and were smaller with shorter fingers._

_He ran his hands through his hair. Still an undercut but it hardly passed his ears – it was the haircut he had as a boy._

_He became a child._

_Before he could inspect more of his surroundings, a jackrabbit gnawed on his boot. He tried to kick it away to no avail. It hopped back and bit his other boot, as if it wanted to drag him. He rose his foot to kick it again—_

_A voice thundered the woods. “Hey, stop it! I’m helping you!”_

_He knew that voice. That voice belonged to… He turned to jackrabbit that bit him harder. It belonged to…_

_“Sova, can you hear me?”_

Sova blinked hard. The image of the grey woods vanished into his mind. He was sitting and leaning heavily on a wall next to the door to A tower, the sunlight at where they dropped off playing flashes on him. He turned his head away, groaning.

“Sova?”

He carefully lifted his eyelids and found Jett kneeling to his eye level, her hands firm on his shoulders—calming the fuzziness there.

“Hey, can you hear me?” she said, pausing at each word.

Sova gave quick small nods amid the dizziness.

“Ok…” Relief spread her voice. “Hang on, ok? Viper’s coming to help; she’ll know what to do. Spike is on the other side so we should be fine.”

Viper, spike … that’s what they were supposed to do: secure the spike. He should get up. They need his sight.

“Woah, woah, woah, you are not going anywhere! Just stay down, ok?”

 _I don’t understand,_ he tried to say. _I was fine, completely fine._

Jett stood up taking out her Sherriff as she checked A site through the tower door and A short back and forth. Sova tried to lift his very heavy hands, his stubborn legs that won’t budge, his entire body growing fuzzier by the second. He opened his quivering mouth to say but a pathetic whimper came out.

Jett caught the sound, pressing her comm piece. “Hurry, Viper, something’s really wrong.”

 _I’m fine,_ he wanted to say. _No, you are not,_ said another part of him.

Sova attempted to adjust his sitting position when a bullet flew past his shoulder. Jett threw a cloudburst and tailwind through the door to A tower. “OVER HERE!” he heard her bellow between her updrafts.

Concern washed over the Russian. Every time the wind radiant did something as such she _will_ get injured. If they killed her, they cannot bring her back. He heaved his body to witness her only to feel a thousand needles piercing down his spine. His breath hitched; ears ringing. Sova slump back against the wall shutting his eyes so tight it hurt—an oddly peaceful hurt. A part of him wished to return to the grey woods he hallucinated.

A new figure appeared before him. Sova almost thought it was Viper but the shadow it casted was too big. He cracked an eye open, finding a familiar pair of boots and trousers. _His_ boots and trousers.

It was his clone. _He came back to finish the job,_ was all Sova thought off. _I’m sorry, Babushka._

The glint of his clone’s Ghost mimicked a flash of a camera, as if taunting him for not killing him in the first place. Sova waited for the end—

BANG! BANG!

Sprays of bullets and blood, Sova’s mirror fell lifeless on its side. Sova glanced left and saw Viper with a fierce look in her eyes and her Shorty in hand.

* * *

Viper's first impression on her non-Controller teammates were all the same: they were naïve, reckless, cocky, annoying, rowdy. She had to agree with Brimstone's dismay how young the youngest four were. Although they had no choice with Killjoy, the rest were too proud to be dealt with. Phoenix with his loud mouth, Jett and her jeers, Raze's hyper attitude, Killjoy's smugness, Cypher's profession in general, Breach being Breach, Reyna’s bloodlust. Only two has had yet get in her nerves.

Sage, being a monk, was cool and collected. She was the only person who never went to a military yet knew how to handle it. Her being their only healer was a huge factor. The only dismay Viper had was that she was not a medical expert. Her healing can only do much. Even working with Viper's own knowledge, both of their medical skills were still lacking.

Then there was Sova. That blond Russian who came from a middle of nowhere was a much calmer person than she presumed, likely a hunter’s habit. She didn’t think much of him or against him. He was good company to everyone in the Protocol. Her only issue was that he’s too nice.

If Sabine were another person, she would ask Viper how was him being too nice a problem. But Viper and Sabine were the same person in flesh. Sabine _was_ her before she became Viper. Her past self didn’t matter anymore.

Odd enough, just the presence of that blond hunter got Sabine excited. That irritated Viper sky high.

He gave encouragements on every mission he went. He was supportive, a good listener, tactical, protective. He was on good terms with every agent. Sometimes he spoke of his grandmother so heartfully it dragged in Viper’s attention. Every time he did, she pushed a certain feeling away.

Everyone had family. It didn’t matter if they were still around or not. Agents of Valorant Protocol had left or moved on from them for this life. Viper did not remember hers, and had stopped trying to. Cypher lost his. Brimstone and Raze had to leave theirs. Jett’s and Phoenix’s hometowns won’t accept them again. Killjoy and Reyna never said about theirs. Breach hardly cared. Omen—like Viper—recalled nothing of his past and had no plans to fill the memory gap. Sova had somebody, and that person was with people who cared for them. People who will welcome him back.

Viper did her best to push that feeling away. Jealousy might not be her preferable wording for it but it fit damn well. And it stopped Sabine from overtaking her, too.

There were times Viper _and_ Sabine had balanced control. Among them was defending her fellow agent from dying, especially when they could not fight.

Just one faraway look at Sova, she knew his health had turned a 180 degree. Where the hell did Jett go? Did she not notice a clone managed to reach him?

The Korean blared the comm, echoing from A site, _“I got them!”_ That reckless brat.

 _“Area cleared!”_ Breach announced, panting.

 _“And spike’s secured!”_ Phoenix said, sounded the least tired of them all.

“Everyone, come to A site _now_.” Viper put her shorty on the ground as she knelt in front of the hunter whose eyes seem to not find her. She called his name, no verbal response. She put one hand between his neck and collarbone and the other on his face. His pulse was out of rhythm.

“Sova,” she said in a soft commanding tone. “Sova, nod if you can hear me.”

He did, slow and subtle.

“Are you hurt?” A slow headshake. “Can you sit up straight?” Another headshake followed by a soft groan.

Jett jogged through A screens and halted near the body of the Sova clone. Viper whipped her head and snapped, “You idiot! I told to stay with him! If I arrived one second late, he would’ve died.”

“I was luring the Cypher clone away,” Jett retorted. “He almost shot him!”

“And that one almost had him straight on!”

Jett scoffed but said no more. She dragged the clone to a distance before returning to her teammates. “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”

“It’s too early to say,” she replied. She searched the hunter’s body for any sign of injury he failed to notice. With his cape on, she found none. “Take off your cape, Sova.”

He lifted a shaky hand to the zip hidden underneath a layer. It did not seem he had a problem unzipping, taking it off did. It was as though his arms were broken. Jett almost reached out to help but Viper held out a hand.

From the corner of her eye, Phoenix and Breach made appearance. Their faces turn grim at the sight of the hunter. Viper gave them a glare telling them to not get close. After a moment—a long moment—Sova finally got his cape off. His shirt under his leather vest slick with sweat.

_Strange… No fever, no face distortion… This isn’t a stroke._

“Viper, what’s happening to him?” Phoenix asked, slightly nervous.

“I don’t know,” was all she could say. “Phoenix, radio base and tell Sage to prepare the med bay for body testing, and an intravenous therapy.”

“And the what—?”

“An IV drip.”

Phoenix ok-ed and pulled out the far distance comm from his jacket. The chemist then turned to Breach. “Carry him.”

For once, Breach did not tease. He placed Sova’s arm around his shoulder and clasped his waist. As he got Sova on his feet (more or less), the hunter was leaning heavily against the other Initiator, hissing in pain and legs unstable. Jett swiftly put his other arm around her shoulder and helped him out of the station.

Viper led the way to their transport hidden in an alleyway, constantly checking on Sova who had passed out the moment they lay him down.

* * *

“… suddenly he turned really, really pale and he just collapsed. I’m telling you, old man, it’s like something switched his health off.”

Jett’s voice pierced through the soundproof walls that ought to prevent unnecessary sounds from disturbing the medical bay. Viper held the urge to knock on the glass window and shush the girl. Her attention remained on Sova, who had woken up but was very much out of it. Sage asked him question after question while hovering a heal orb over his body.

He was shivering but he did not feel cold. She found no problems in his lungs but he had trouble breathing. She asked him simple math questions from plus to minus to multiply to divide; he got the early questions correct but was lost later on. Furthermore, he almost wet himself. They had to change his bed from the nearest to the entrance door to the one near the med bay bathroom; they had to call in Cypher to help out.

After an hour, Sage put away her orb and place sparkling fingers on the hunter’s temple. Sova’s face relaxed for the first time since they left Split.

“You can leave now, Cypher,” the healer told the Moroccan. “And please tell everyone outside to quiet down.”

“Alright.” Cypher went for the med bay door quiet and fast like he came.

Viper waited until the door closed to ask Sage, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” said Sage, focusing to relax the hunter. “My answers are all but theories like yours. Fortunately, it is not a stroke.”

“I can tell that. There are no signs of poisoning or long term after effects of electrocution. He has no history of seizure or epilepsy. Any damage done from his previous mission three weeks ago have long healed. Something else is wrong.”

Sage lift her fingers from his head and meet the chemist’s eyes. “Can you do some blood tests?”

“I could, but it will take a while.”

“How long?”

“A week. Three days at least.”

Sage replied, “I don’t think he can handle that long. He needs medication as soon as now.”

Viper put a hand on her chin. She glanced at Sova then to the window, feeling stares of the remaining agents from other side. “I’m going to talk to Brimstone. Give him antibiotics and painkillers – get him some sleep.”

“Sure,” Sage said, holding a sigh. “Turn the window off on the way please.”

“Got it.” The glass window blackened and Viper left Sage alone with Sova. She exited the med bay and saw Brimstone, Jett, Phoenix, Breach, Cypher and Reyna turning their heads at her direction.

Reyna spoke up first. “Well, what is ailing our dear hunter?”

“That’s the big problem: we don’t know.” answered Viper, crossing her arms.

“You’re the chemist—you must know something.” Jett said.

Viper gave her a look. “Exactly. I’m a chemist; not a doctor. I can run a blood test and help Sage with some other tests but it will take time. He _doesn’t_ have time. If he doesn’t get proper medication soon, his condition might turn for the worst.” Her chest twinged at the lie. She used to heal, or so Omen said, but she recalled none of it.

“What’s the sign that it got worse?” Brimstone asked carefully.

Viper pondered for a second. “My guess: when he couldn’t feel his legs.”

A short tense silence fell through.

Breach swore under his breath, “He can’t even stand up even though I was supporting him. I take it he’s already in third stage?”

“Second stage or first relapse,” Viper corrected him. “This happened before, two weeks ago. I’m sure you remember that, captain.”

Brimstone sighed, running a hand through his hair. “He was alright the day after that so I didn’t think about it. Should’ve known something wasn’t right...”

“Shoot, how did we not notice?!” Phoenix exclaimed, gaining attention. “The day after he fainted, he was really snippy. He yelled at Raze – he only ate when we inform him – I hadn’t seen him smile since then.”

“He has tremors.” Cypher spoke up next.

“Since when?” asked Viper, intrigued.

“The night when we make dinner together, possibly hours before that. He hid it pretty well until he spilled his drink. I went to talk to him outside his room before curfew but he had forgotten we ever had a conversation. It did not seem like him…”

Viper noted the words in mind, connecting to any info of symptoms of conditions she learned about. _Loss of appetite, mood swings, tremors, forgetfulness._

“He is constantly tired these past weeks,” Reyna said this time. “I noticed his heart pounding for no reason but I thought nothing at first because it started during the paintball training.”

Breach questioned the vampire, “You mean you felt his heart out of place since the paintball fight? That was weeks ago.”

Reyna leered at him, “Darling, my powers don’t lie.” Her smile then vanished. “However, our hunter is quite a deceiver. The signs were as clear as day yet we missed them.”

 _Heart palpitation… That’s not good,_ thought Viper. _Where is a real doctor when we need one?_

“Brimstone,” Viper got her leader’s attention. “Tell me our superiors have chosen a physician for us.”

The old soldier groan, “Viper, I already asked them about it last week and the month before, and before that. Heck—since last _year_. Nothing! Not a single follow-up.”

Phoenix raised a hand. “Hang on a minute. Why can’t Sage just heal him like normal?”

“It’s because it isn’t normal,” Heads turn to the med bay door and found Sage stepping outside wearing latex gloves. “My healing heals flesh wounds. I have limits and cooldown time. My abilities can tell me what is amiss but I cannot heal that part unless I see it with my eyes.”

“Ok – but what if we kill him and you revive him? That could help, right?”

Silence fell through. Everyone stared at the Brit in disbelief, including Reyna. Sage looked as though she wanted to crush him with her crystal wall. Phoenix realized his mistake and his jaw tensed. Viper was in-between laughing and flinching at the scene.

“Phoenix…” Sage began, her tone dangerous. “My revival fixes flesh wounds. A person with years-long condition will never change after resurrection. If it does, Raze wouldn’t have tinnitus anymore. Furthermore, if we do that, Sova might relapse again and his condition will worsen until revival is out of the question.”

Phoenix sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, his pride shrunk. “Sorry, doc. Didn’t mean to put it that way.”

Sage sighed and shook her head, “It’s fine...”

“So,” Breach began. “our only option left is to send him to a hospital on the mainland or we kidnap a doctor.” He held out a hand just as Brimstone gave him a stern stare. “I know kidnapping is a huge violation but our damn higher-ups can give us a-million-credit worth of labs but not an actual doctor. No offense to you two.”

“None taken.” Viper and Sage said at the same time.

“There’s always underground doctors,” Reyna suggested, earning a scoff from Cypher.

“Still, it’s risky.” Brimstone explained. “If we abduct a physician, our big guys might know one way or another; our victim would go screaming about us once we return them. If we send Sova and a few of us to the mainland, you’ll be at risk of being spotted by bounty hunters—”

“—Or the authorities.” Viper butted in.

“Exactly! My opinion is sending him to a hospital is the best option. I have an old friend who runs a policlinic. I’m sure he’ll understand. Sova can get in the hospital with his help, disguised as a civilian.”

“Well, that sounds idealistic,” Cypher replied without sarcasm. “Our hunter doesn’t exist in the world’s system. Using a fake IDs will work without problem.”

“Sounds good to me.” Phoenix shrugged.

“Who will be with him, captain?” asked Reyna. “Most of our faces are on wanted posters, and the procedure could take a while.”

“Viper will.”

Viper blinked once. Then twice. “Why me?”

“You have lower risk of being identified.”

 _He must be joking._ “Lower risk my boot. I am literally wanted dead or alive by the American police forces. How am I a low risk, Brimstone?” She strained on his name, hoping to get a good explanation.

Brimstone was unfazed as usual. “First off: your features are most normal out of all us. You wear a wig, glasses or something and people won’t know it’s you. Secondly, that friend of mine is in a southeast Asian country – a place technically untouched by Kingdom. Neither you or Sova will be found by unwanted eyes.”

The chemist held the urge to roll her eyes. Taking a side eye glance at the blackened window, there was no reason to start an argument. Sova needed help – that mattered most.

Damn it.

“Alright, I’ll go. But with an extra hand.”

Brimstone chose Killjoy who, too, will be unrecognizable under a disguise. Viper loathed to be with any of the youngest four but she cannot argue with that either.

“How long does the symptoms last?” Brimstone asked Sage.

“Twenty-four hours or less. We can go first thing in the morning, his symptoms will relax by then.”

They settled it there, no one suggested more or protested. Sage asked Phoenix to pack Sova’s clothes and Cypher to prepare a soft meal for him. Brimstone left to contact his friend while Breach and Reyna left for their own work.

Viper went to her room to prepare her things, wonderng why her gut was telling her that this was a bad idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wish me luck on my internship. I will be writing but just not my fanfics ;-;  
> I originally planned Diagnosing to be one chapter but I had to break it to two because I might drag the time making it like I did with my third chapter on my other fanfic (which I have yet to finish or upload - sorry Pyre fans)
> 
> Take care guys!  
> \- 18 Oct 2020


	5. Diagnosing II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Homesickness, dillema, and an old modeled van.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Internship schedule is as unexpected as this year can get. Thank you for waiting patiently for the update.
> 
> And now, the turning point!
> 
> Enjoy!

**THREE DAYS AGO**

_He was back at the woods._

_It was not grey anymore. This time it’s decorated by a soft blue hue and crystal glitters floating in the air. Diamond dust._

_He loved diamond dust mornings. It was a sign the day will be snowy and still be safe to play in. He could practice archery longer, perhaps accompany Dedushka in hunting, or watch the herd of elks that pass by the farm every year with Babushka._

_He could invite his friends over, too. They have a portable video game console with a game every kid has played or knew, at the very least. He wanted to but there’s no way Babushka would allow it. Why won’t she allow it? He asked her that many times. And every time he did, she changed the topic or Dedushka gave him ‘the look’ if he did not drop the question._

_He missed them. He missed them so much. He hasn’t seen a trace them for hours. He shouldn’t have stray away. Where am I? Where are they?_

_“Sova.”_

_Someone—or something—called out. It came from everywhere, like that jackrabbit when the woods were grey._

_As if like magic, a reindeer appeared from the trees. It was a female hence the smaller-sized antlers. It had the sleekest white fur with the prettiest blend of brown. Her antlers were odd, they were black. What kind of reindeer has black antlers?_

_“Sova.” The voice came again as the reindeer stepped closer. On a tree behind her stood a gyrfalcon, its blue eyes shining like the dust reflecting the sunlight._

_He couldn’t move from his spot – there was no need to. He recognized that voice. It was different than the first. Softer and kinder, too, with a different accent._

_Wait… accent?_

_The reindeer got closer until its nose brushed his forehead._

_“Sova. Wake up, Sova.”_

* * *

The woods whisked away. Sova was greeted by the sight of early morning sunrays seeping through the blinds of the med bay windows. There was a hand on his shoulder and Sova turned to it and locked eyes with Sage. Her hair was braided to the side, reminding him a lot of someone at home.

She smiled kindly, “Good morning.”

He tried to greet back but could only hum.

“How are you feeling? Better?”

_My bones still weigh a ton but I can move my head so … I guess I am. I don’t feel numb anymore so yes, I am._

He nodded slowly.

“We’re taking you to a proper hospital today,” Sage told him. “Viper and I did everything we could, but we can’t find what’s wrong with you. A friend of Brimstone’s can help you get admitted.”

Sova put a hand on hers to reassure her—thanking her for trying. Sage seemed to understand the gesture and kept smiling.

A giant grape with blue dots popped appeared behind her. Sova blinked twice and felt like knocking himself out of embarrassment. It was no grape, but a hatless Cypher. Sova gave him a small wave.

“Good morning to you, too, friend.” The Moroccan said. “I’m here to help you get yourself ready. Do you mind?”

No, of course not. He helped him yesterday … on what again? As much as he finds people’s secrets for a living, Cypher was good at keeping them too.

With their help, Sova was cleaned and dressed up for the day. It was rather embarrassing to be treated like a sick child, but it was much better than to let his heavy limbs drag him down with gravity.

Waiting for the teleporter to fully recharge, Sova sat at a sofa in the lounge staring deeply at the television. He didn’t turn it on, somehow looking at his own reflection on the dark screen was intriguing. How extra pale he looked, and feeble, and tired, and useless. Babushka would hate it if she knew he thought of that to himself.

_Oh, Babushka…_

“You alright, son?”

Sova blinked and noticed Brimstone’s reflection on the screen, stand behind the sofa carrying something in his hands. Sova turn to his shoulder, slightly, not wanting to feel nauseous.

“I’m fine,” he rasped. Why did he sound like as if he had been travelling through a drought?

Brimstone moved to his side, finally into his clear line of sight, carrying a bowl and filled cup. “Here, I made these for you. Don’t thank me, it’s my duty as leader.”

 _Always say thank you even if the person doesn’t want you to,_ Babushka told little him a long time ago.

 _How come there are people who don’t want a thanks?_ Confused little him asked her.

Babushka ran her crinkled hand through his hair. _My boy, people can be complicated._ _They think they don’t deserve it when they do. Sometimes it’s more than that._ She kept smiling but he felt pain behind it especially after the last sentence.

 _Why are you sad, Babushka?_ Little him asked again. She never answered.

“Sova?”

Brimstone’s voice brought him back to the present. Sova blinked again. The captain had taken a seat beside him and looking at him with concern.

“I’m fine, captain,” he said, not rasping but still in a low volume.

Obviously, his captain wan unconvinced but he did not say. He put a bowl near Sova’s hands, “Can you feed on your own?”

 _I’m not a child,_ he almost said. In truth, he was not sure. Cypher helped him to get soap on certain spots on his body that are hard to reach. He literally needed Cypher _and_ Sage just to get him on his feet with a cane. Still, he needed to try, just to be sure. Sova let out an open palm for Brimstone to place the bowl on it. It was chicken porridge. The captain’s cooking was not always the best but it certainly has an aroma in them. That aroma was missing, or maybe Sova cannot sense it anymore. He was unsure which theory he should place his hope on.

No less than a second after Brimstone let go of the bowl, the contents started vibrating. The bowl felt too heavy and too hot to carry. _Calm down, calm down, calm down—_

“Easy, son.” Brimstone quickly snatched the porridge from him. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll help you out.”

There was not a single sarcasm or anger in his voice but somewhere within Sova tried to convince him that the older man was upset. The hunter froze, unsure how to react.

He let his captain spoon-feed him and, very fortunately, nobody came to witness. Brimstone didn’t say anything more than if Sova wanted more of the food. He had no desire to waste, but he could only stomach half a bowl. Brimstone seemed to understand that and left to wash the dishes. The captain’s soft side was really showing. Sova shouldn’t be surprised though he could not help but wonder,

“Do you have children, Brimstone?”

“Nope,” he answered casually. “I have a bunch of nieces and nephews. Killjoy is the closest thing I had for a kid.”

That was a fact everyone knew. Killjoy and Brimstone gave a vibe similar to that of a father and daughter, yet the former insisted they were only mentor and student. No more. Brimstone did not mind that, probably due to their work right now.

“You should have seen her when she was a kid,” Brimstone continued, gaining Sova’s attention. “Real shy and timid but cocky once you know her. Everyone from her home only saw her a prodigy, not a regular little girl. When I told her I was a soldier, she was excited. Most kids would’ve been afraid of me but not her.” He chuckled at the memory. “She used to pretend waging war medieval style to get my attention. Don’t tell her I told you this.”

Sova imagined a tiny Killjoy running after Brimstone with a toy sword. He smiled at the image, but it fell when his mind reminded that he did the exact same thing with his grandparents as a boy. He shut them away.

Brimstone returned from the kitchen and sat back on the sofa. “This could take days, maybe weeks. It’s going to be a bit risky but it’s all we can do.”

“I understand, captain.” Sova braced for a question from his leader. How come he hid his illness, why didn’t he tell Sage? Instead, he asked something he least expected.

“Do you want to call her?”

Sova stared at him for a moment before turning away.

“No.”

The older man was taken aback. “Are you sure? I’m turning a blind eye right now. Ask Cypher to get your phone and—”

“No!” Sova said again, louder and firmly. “I don’t want to call her.”

His chest tied a knot. _How could you? This is Babushka—not some random old woman._

_I don’t want to worry her more than she already has._

_At least bring your phone along, Sova. What if your sickness is worse than you think?_

_… Fine._

Brimstone suggested the same thing Sova thought of. The hunter informed him that he will bring his phone along. The old soldier then patted him in the back, a quiet reassurance.

Mid-morning came and the teleporter was fully charged. Most of the Protocol gathered to wish safety for Sova, Viper and Killjoy. Raze had given the hunter a big hug as he climbed in the vehicle.

“Get well soon, amigo,” she said, with a comforting smile.

“Thank you, Raze.” Sova replied. “Thank you, all of you.”

Some gave “You’re welcome” or “No problem” while others smiled back.

Viper, Killjoy and Sova got in an automatic car and drove through the teleporter. Somewhere within him dreaded this might be last time he saw his teammates. Sova pushed the paranoia away as the heat of southeast Asia greeted him.

* * *

“Killjoy, if I hear you complain one more time, I will drop you off on the highway.”

Locals were not joking when the say heatwaves in the United Kingdom were standard weather in this country. Or ‘ _cooler_ ’ as they mean. Sweat was sticking on her back no less than minutes after exiting the teleporter. Of all places it brought them to: a parking lot to a public campsite. At least it wasn’t in a crime hotspot of a city. The afternoon sun made it worse as it glared fiercely from the clear sky, bringing more heat to anything directly exposed.

Viper had put away her cardigan mid-driving while Killjoy took off her beanie, tied her hair into a bun, and fold her sleeves with a running mouth. As if Phoenix’s big mouth wasn’t enough.

“I am Cassandra here, and you are Violet, Viper.” Killjoy said from the passenger seat, her accent thick.

“Killjoy.”

“I have never been in a place so hot and humid at the same time. I just don’t get it! The locals go about wearing fully covered clothing while here we are wearing our coolest and loose clothes and still be sweating in an air conditioner.”

Viper bit her tongue from spitting out profanities. “Just look outside and take in the scenery, will you?”

The inventor blew raspberries. “Ja, ja, sure thing.” She mumbled to herself in German then spun to look at the backseat. “How are you doing, Sova?”

Sova had been quiet since they teleported. Viper lost count how many times when she looked at the back mirror for vehicles, she ended up checking on him instead. He looked better than yesterday although still weak as a newborn fawn. Surprisingly, the heat seemed to bother him the least. He only had his hair styled a bun, wearing a loose jersey over a long-sleeved grey undershirt. For the past hour of driving, he had a thousand-yard stare piercing through the car window.

“I’m fine, Killjoy,” he answered, monotonous and hushed.

“Do you need anything?”

“The outside view is enough for me.”

Sabine felt her heart twinge. She could not find herself to stay angry at the hunter for hiding his symptoms. She—technically everyone in the Protocol—would have done the same especially to something that can be brushed off as stress.

Viper returned her focus on the journey.

After another hour of driving, through section after section, one traffic jam after another, they finally reached the polyclinic. Brimstone’s doctor friend was a greying local man whose eyes showed more strength than his body. They had arrived for the checkup on the perfect time—near dusk—when there weren’t many people around.

Getting Sova in his office was difficult. Neither Viper or Killjoy were near his height; although the crutches help, he almost lost balance despite the extra hands holding him up. Sova was then left alone with the doctor in his office. The examination took longer than predicted. Dusk became night when the doctor stepped out of his office, asked one colleague to call in a hospital and another to grab a wheelchair. The ambulance came half an hour later. And soon they carried Sova and drove off with Viper and Killjoy on their trail.

The hospital was a private kind. Each patient gets a private ward for themselves. Perfectly suitable for shadow mercenaries to blend with the public.

While Sova was settling in his ward, Killjoy took the car and drove to rent a motel room on a row of townhouse-shops across the road of the hospital grounds, leaving Viper to accompany the hunter for the night.

The nurses almost assume the two were husband and wife. Viper held back a scoff and ‘corrected’ that they were cousins. She’d rather not use the ‘married couple’ disguise whenever she can. She was not sure why but using it felt like she was … betraying somebody.

Whoever it was, they did not matter anymore. She recalled nothing them. There was no need to linger on that.

However, the Russian hunter had his own intentions.

“Must you break into my room?”

Viper rolled her eyes. “Forget about it already.”

“No,” said Sova firmly, sitting up straight. “I need to know exactly why.”

He and Viper locked eyes.

“There was no other reason. I snooped because your communication could jeopardize our base and that’s it.”

“You had another reason—I can tell.”

“What do you even know about me?” asked the chemist, blood rising to her face.

“I know you talk to yourself as if it were another person. You play with people’s minds like it’s your hobby. You have no fear about putting us in real danger even if it means getting us killed.”

“Do you hear yourself?” Viper challenged. “This isn’t some game. We are at a constant battle the world doesn’t believe in despite the thousand solid proofs. If anything were to happen to us, our planet is doomed.”

“I know _exactly_ what we are doing and I am _not_ saying this mattered more. I am asking because it is personal. I have my secrets as you with yours!” Sova said sharply.

Viper sneered through her teeth. “My secrets are not as exposing as yours.”

“What—?!”

“Don’t you dare excuse what you did!” She pointed a finger at him. “What would happen if our trackers managed to break through the defensive matrix because of your texting? Our higher-ups don’t care about us! Our homes don’t care if we die fighting for them or for ourselves!”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Sova raised his voice. “I know my mistake and I swear not to do it again. The Protocol is my family—I care for you all! But I can’t just forget my Babushka!”

“Then don’t see us as family, you—!”

The ward door swung open. “Everything alright?” the nurse asked, wary of the tension in the air.

Viper turned away as Sova answered her, “Yes. I’m sorry, we had an argument.”

The nurse stared at them sharply. “Please, do be quiet. If your argument goes louder, I might have to ask the miss to leave the hospital.” The nurse courtesy at Viper. “Miss?”

Viper forced her tone to sound apologetic. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

The nurse was satisfied and left them alone. They were stoned there silently for a moment. Viper turned the ceiling light off and went to the guest bed with her frustrations clear.

“Not another word,” she sneered without looking at Sova. “Either you get some sleep to get better or talk until you get sicker.” Profanities was at the tip of her tongue, yet Sabine held them back and slam her head on the pillow.

Sova said nothing and settled down to sleep. An uncomfortable at that.

Viper could not sleep at all. Fire seemed to burn inside her chest. Anger, discomfort, ridicule—all of it were there. Despite how much Viper blamed Sova for it, Sabine blamed herself. For what she wasn’t sure.

* * *

**TWO DAYS AGO**

Morning came slower than Viper expected. Once the clock struck 8 a.m., she called Killjoy to accompany Sova for the day. Said hunter awoke the moment Killjoy arrived. Viper took the motel keys from the younger woman and quickly left the ward muttering, “I need to be alone for a while.”

Killjoy watched her superior leave with confusion. “What happened?” she asked Sova.

“Nothing.” He replied grumpily.

Meanwhile Viper went to the motel room to shower and hoped to have a proper sleep. The motel shower was disappointing, as expected from a cheap motel by the road, but at least it had hot water. The bed was much less comfortable than the hospital’s guest bed. It felt sandy, too. How can a motel bed in the middle of a city feel sandy?

“Argh!”

Viper got out of the motel in a huff and into the car. She texted Killjoy she will be out to an open area to report base. The engineer would ponder her with questions later, but Viper could not care less. She wanted to be alone. Far from people who can read her.

_Damn you, Sova._

She drove several kilometers away and made a stop at a large rest stop. The place had rows of eateries, plus a few delis from local brands—not one Kingdom Corp. food in sight. Not even their famous canned drink.

Viper let a small part of herself cheer at the rare sight before slightly opening one window, pushing her seat back and shut her eyes. She woke to somebody knocking on the window. A security. She almost grabbed for the hidden Classic on her door but relaxed when the officer’s face showed relief instead of fear or suspicion.

She had slept an hour more than intended, apparently. It was near noon now and the people who had parked next to her gotten worried when she did not move when they returned to leave. The security even told her of cases where people died sleeping in their car with the engines running. She showed him the slightly open window in the backseat, then he bid safe travels and excused himself.

For a moment, gratitude filled her chest. _How long has it been since a stranger didn’t recognize me?_

_Far too long, Sabine. Do not celebrate. They will recognize you eventually._

_Right. How careless of me._

How careless indeed. If it were a foreigner—worst, a media geek—there could be a high chance her identity will be exposed then and there.

_Focus on your task, Sabine. No more fantasies about public freedom._

Her phone rang as she took the turn back to the main road. She picked it up and Killjoy’s voice burst the speakers.

_“Hey, Vi!”_

“Cassandra, what’s wrong?”

_“Nothing’s wrong. I’m asking you to buy some English magazines and some apples while you’re on the road. The food selection here is so limited today.”_

Viper rolled her eyes. “Sure thing.” She almost ended the call when Killjoy continued.

_“Sova is having a fever right now. It’s not high but his condition made him feel worse.”_

“… I see.” That explained his temper last night.

_“And the MRI results came out. It really is multiple sclerosis, but they think something else might be wrong because first relapse usually isn’t this bad.”_

Viper stopped her before she can continue, “We’re not being discreet on the line. Tell me the rest when I get back.”

_“Roger that. Cass out.”_

Viper did as Killjoy asked; bought a couple of English magazines and some fruits—local and western—at a convenience store by the roadside. She then drove to a secluded area that looked like an abandoned undeveloped land. She checked every possible opening in the car, then activated a hidden comm underneath the driver’s seat.

“This is Pandemic to base, do you read me?”

A brief static.

_“This is Sarge speaking from base. How are things over there, copy?”_

Viper told him their success in getting Sova admitted, what his illness was, and how long they were likely have to spend time there. She did not mention the tension between her and Sova, nor reveal her urge to have Sage take over. She was the _healer_. She was the one supposed to be here. Viper noted that she will have word with Omen who made the bastion stay at base. What was going on with those two?

 _“Noted,”_ Brimstone said once she finished. _“And remember, don’t draw attention. Make sure you three stay away from mass crowds especially tourist spots. The country’s public services aren’t a joke.”_

“Got it. I will report back in two days. Pandemic out.”

_“Stay safe. Sarge out.”_

She drove around a school afterwards in case she had been tracked on while on radio. Fortunately, all was well except for a traffic jam that happened out of nowhere.

Then a soccer ball bounced off the chassis—PAK!

Viper slam the brakes—tires screeching to a halt. The car behind her followed and honked. Her eyes followed the ball that slowly rolled to a stop on the empty lane beside her.

A boy looking around the age of fifteen scurried for the ball. He gave an apologetic gesture as he went to meet her through the passenger seat window. Viper rolled it down and the boy immediately spat out apologies and … other things in his native tongue.

 _Damn me for not learning their language enough,_ thought Viper to herself. She tried to get him to calm down but his confused stare began to test her patience. She then changed her methods.

“OK!” she said loud and clear. “All OK, boy. Car is fine. Don’t worry.” Slowly, the boy understood what she meant. The car behind her honked again. She gestured the boy to leave who apologised to her one more time and ran back to the school field.

Viper rolled her eyes and followed the traffic. Unbeknownst to her, she has gained interest of certain people in a van on the other road.

“Ma’am, trust me, I found her. And I don’t think she came here alone. This is our best shot.”

* * *

She returned to the hospital feeling preyed on. Every slight movement near her body (specifically from behind) made her whip her head at the direction to the point she surprised several people who intended to walk pass her. She brushed the feeling off but it kept coming back.

She returned to Sova’s ward to find him lying in bed more exhausted than he had been yesterday. His doctor advised he should take small walks around the room when he can. Viper smelled vomit amid the strong disinfected but said nothing and went to discuss their future plans.

While discussing, Viper leaned over the window to ease her mind with the clear sky. Then she spotted a black van driving slowly outside the hospital grounds. She didn’t know why but her eyes fixated on it. She looked away once the van had left. Several minutes later, she saw the van again. She tensed, gaining Sova’s and Killjoy’s attention.

“What’s the matter?” Sova asked, voice hoarse.

“There’s a van out there…”

“Hmm?” Kiljoy joined the chemist at looked out the window. “Which van?”

“That black one there, in the parking lot.” Viper pointed at it.

“Ok… What about it?”

“I saw it before.”

“When?”

“On my way back here.”

 _This isn’t good,_ she thought. It was too much a coincidence for a see the same vehicle repeatedly. It could really be a coincidence or some lost poor bloke.

It could be Kingdom’s men or bounty hunters.

“I’ll be right back.” She told Sova and Killjoy. “If I don’t call you within two hours tops, contact base.” Killjoy opened her mouth opened to say something but Viper rushed away. She quickly started the car and drove out of the hospital grounds.

Something about that van screamed danger. It has no windows, something a passenger van supposed to have; nor a side door but a back door, something only vans for postage use nowadays. Most importantly, it was an old rusted model which was completely manual without a single AI built in it. A good method to get away from getting detected by street cameras.

The streets were busy as it was the time people would have dinner outside or walk about within shopping mall complexes. She would risk her identity from being exposed but better than to let whoever was tailing her from finding out about her ill teammate.

Viper drove in circles slowly going farther from the hospital. She made sure every turn and traffic light stop she took will lead her back. However, every time she looked back; the van was there, always a few vehicles away.

She drove around for another hour, this time taking a detour to another part of town where the streets slowly got quiet. She was nearing a gas station surrounding a housing area directly next to the main street. _If anything were to happen here, at least there’s help,_ she thought hopefully.

Her car was fortunately not too empty; she filled it to full anyway all while observing the van from the corner of her eye.

It went into the station.

Viper clenched the gas pump, her blood rushing in her veins.

It slowly drove pass her spot and Viper managed to catch a glimpse of the driver: a young man with a large built body. He parked by the fuel station adjacent from her, deliberately blocking her shortcut to drive out the station. The van’s door open, and the man stepped out.

Viper prepared herself. She may not have the same physical strength as Brimstone but she can use a person’s weight against themselves. This may cause a commotion and expose her.

The man stepped out and walked to the station shop with arms wide open. He greeted loudly in his native tongue. The cashier stride to him with a frown and immediately—by the sound of her tone—scolded him. The man replied “Sorry, sorry” in his language again, sheepishly entered the station shop and was given a gas station worker’s hat.

Viper sighed in relief. _Ah… It_ is _a poor bloke._ _You’re so paranoid, Sabine._

As the chemist finished filling the gas and drove off, the actual van continued to stay on her trail, far enough for her to miss through her mirrors.

Ease filled her world as she drove to the now silent road. She grabbed her phone and dialed Killjoy. She instantly picked it up.

_“Vi, is everything alright?”_

“Yeah, all good. It’s just some guy who lost his way.

_“Phew! That’s good to hear. Oh, hey, I’ll stay with Sova for the night considering you two had – uh – issues this morning. Besides, he’s getting more tests tomorrow so…”_

“Alright, Ki—" Viper quickly corrected herself. “Cassandra. I’ll be at the motel soon.”

_“Alright, then. Cass out. Goodnight!”_

The moment Viper put her phone on the dashboard, the car jolted forward by an impact from behind.

Her seatbelt prevented her from hitting her head on the steering wheel but it took her breath out. Viper quickly glanced at the mirror and twirled to look back only for bright white light glaring into her eyes.

Viper pressed the gas and the car moved forward on its own again. She squinted her eyes to look at her attacker. An old modeled van—except it was enhanced with sharp grills on the front. She had suspected the _wrong van_!

“Sh^t!”

Viper made a sharp turn. Her car circled until it faced the opposite way of the road as the van zoomed passed her before doing the same. She spun the car again and raced down the road. The people in the van were flustered for a moment.

Viper struggled to reach the Classic underneath her seat. The van picked up speed until its front touched the bumper.

Viper glanced back at the road. An intersection. She picked up more speed and slowed down just enough for her to turn a sharp left without tumbling the car.

The van almost did the same but swerved in a circle and screeched to a halt in the middle of it.

She took the opportunity and grabbed the Classic and activated the SOS call to base.

Instead of morse codes, a deafening sound burst from the speakers.

Viper flinched hard—screaming in pain and shock. Her focus waver and her car went straight into a concrete wall. She managed to swerve to the side from getting the brunt of the impact.

Though it did not stop the horrid noise. It hurt her more than the crash or the glass shards in her exposed skin or the stinging in her neck.

_Stop it—Stop it—!_

It was too much. Her body went weak on its own. The van approached her as the noise got louder and more merciless.

Then her world went dark.

* * *

Killjoy turned the ward television off with a huff. _What a terrible story,_ she thought. _Shows from Brim’s time are a lot less predictable than this._

She stood up from the chair and cleaned up for the night. Sova had fallen asleep not long ago, face pale and lightly sheen with sweat. He had experienced deep medical checkups for the first time in his life. Poor guy must be scared. Who wouldn’t be? A part inside Killjoy wanted to take the opportunity to pluck the hunter’s eye out.

 _Really, of all times, Alexis?_ She kicked the urge away and fixed his blanket to his chest.

She dimmed the ward lights and went to the window, grabbing her phone along the way. She texted to Viper,

_I’m gonna get some shut eye._

_Are you at the motel?_

_. . ._

_I’m otw_

_Don’t worry_

_Be there soon_

Killjoy rose a brow. Didn’t Viper hate using short forms?

. . .

_Alrighty then_

She did not wait for the reply. Viper can take care of herself, but her sudden use of shortened words bewildered her a bit. Viper reminded everyone that short forms were allowed on urgent matters. She called Viper no more than 20 minutes ago. She should be fine, right?

Right?

A chill crept upon her. Anything can happen in 20 minutes. Moreover, Viper should be at the motel by now since the streets were empty. Should she call her again? _Yeah, I should._ Killjoy’s thumb swipe to Viper’s contact and waited. The line got in but the dialing went on and on until—

_“The number you have called is unavailable. Please try again later.”_

No more tone. No voice message notice. Agents were forbidden to turn their phone off when on the mainland. Viper was the last person to break that rule since she was the one who _made it._

Killjoy felt her blood turn cold. _Something is wrong!_ She quickly dialed Brimstone who answered immediately.

“ _Killjoy, what is it?”_

“Brim,” she said as calm as she could. “can you get a track on Viper’s phone?”

A pregnant pause. _“What happened?”_ Brimstone asked, serious.

Killjoy told him how Viper had left the hospital tracking down a van that she thought was following her since morning. She even told him of her odd message and that she did not answer her second call nor called back.

Brimstone swore. _“Get in touch with the hospital’s security. I’m sending some agents to you. How’s Sova doing?”_

“Not good, Brim,” she answered, glancing at her sleeping teammate. “He’s sleeping like the dead now.”

_“Wake him up then.”_

Easier said than done. Sova was unresponsive as Killjoy shook him in the shoulder, patting his face. When she thought she succeeded, he groaned and scrunch his face painfully and went unmoving once more.

She put her phone to her ear. “No luck—he’s really out, Brim.”

_“Alright, hold on as long as you can. Phoenix, Sage and I are coming in fifteen minutes tops.”_

Fifteen minutes. She can handle fifteen minutes. She had handled a few days on her own when she snuck out of Kingdom to find Brimstone to join the Protocol years ago. Doing it in a hospital was new. Killjoy clenched her fists. _You can do this, Alexis. Do it for Sova and Viper._

Killjoy pressed the nurse call button, and he immediately came by the door. She informed him of the situation. He was skeptical, at first, but took in her words, told her to lock the room, and rushed for the counter outside. Once she locked the door, she caught headlights moving in the parking lot. She headed closer to the window for a better look.

A black van. The same model as the one from afternoon but modified. Behind it was Viper’s car, but it wasn’t. There was no plat number. A lamppost in the parking lot shone through its windshield.

A large masked man sat at the driver’s seat. Viper was nowhere in it.

Killjoy quickly pulled the blinds closed and shook Sova’s shoulders again.

“Sova!” she said aloud, “Sova, wake up – wake up now!”

He finally did.

“Killjoy… Wah’z—?”

“Viper’s hasn’t come back yet!” If her mother were here, she would whack her in the head for yelling at a sick person. But Killjoy could hardly contain her fear. “And there’s people looking for us. We got to hold on until help arrives.”

Alarmed, Sova sat up but a strong wave of nausea hit him and he fell back gagging. Sova put a hand on his mouth and lay sideways.

“Woah!” Killjoy grabbed the trash bin to him.

Suddenly she felt something heavy fell on the floor. From the rumble, it came from outside. Sova stopped retching and she slowly approached the ward door. She took out her Alarmbot, one smaller than her usual bots but this one dazes its targets and sticks a tracker to them. Hopefully the tracker works for long term should anything bad happens. She should have asked Cypher about that.

Killjoy cautiously push the nob down so it would not make a sound, opening the door slowly. She peered to the dim lit hallway for a sign of movement. She found the nurse lying on the floor in an awkward position. Across him was a hospital security leaning on a wall near another ward with his eyes rolled back. She spotted a black boot coming from a corner when the door she held swung open by a force behind it.

Killjoy was pulled with it. Before she could let go, she felt a thin cold metal going into her bare nape. She flinched then kicked the door, knocking down the person behind it to the floor.

A large hand clasp on her arm. Adrenaline filled her as she spun and punched the other person in the neck – a large man copying Brimstone’s physique.

_A clone? It can’t be. Clones don’t go about in public._

She aimed for another punch to his face. Her fist abruptly tingled and landed a weak impact on his jaw. The tingles grew from her arms to her entire body. Her visions began to blur. Her grip on her alarmbot lost.

 _I’m being drugged!_ Killjoy realized, receiving a fist to her cheek, a knee to her stomach, and an elbow sending her down hard to the floor. She could have sworn she heard a crack from one of the assaults.

Black spots filled her vision as her hearing distorted as though she was being dunked in water. The men said something to each other in a different language. They walked over her and into the ward. Killjoy put an effort to crawl but her body felt heavier and heavier by the second.

“Killjoy?”

She forced her senses back together at Sova’s rasped call. Her mind seemed to be playing black lights with her. She saw one man holding Sova down and the other putting something in his neck. The IV stand rattled and rolled to away from the bed as they brought her teammate to the floor.

The next thing she knew, they were walking over her again. The large man had a long, large bag slung over his shoulder. Killjoy did not need any proof to know they had put Sova in it.

Her alarmbot activated outside of her view, and exploded at the men who staggered backwards with a cry.

“Put him down!” Killjoy tried to scream – her words slurred. “Put him down, ihr bastarde!”

The other, slim man kicked her in the face. Her nose gave out a sick crunch as the force turned her body until she lay on her back. The man muttered something more, but, again, Killjoy could not make out the words. She felt a needle going into her neck once more.

Killjoy gagged and gasped for air. Blood clogged her nose and flow to her mouth and face. Her chest suddenly weighed a ton, and the world swirled. She struggled to keep her senses straight as she glanced to the hallway. The men were already at the far end, carrying the sick, seemingly lifeless Sova with them.

“N-no! No—ugh—Sova… no…” She lifted her hand for a futile attempt. A sensation mimicking a whirlpool stole the last of her energy then pain and darkness consumed her.

.

.

.


	6. Hypothesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End of flashback

**ONE DAY AGO**

_“When you’re done with your work, can you stay for movie night?”_

_“Of course, buddy. The same movie, right? The mouse one?”_

_“Yeah, that one! You never watched it from the start.”_

_“We’ll watch it together when I get back.”_

_“Promise?”_

_“Promise! Oh, and don’t tell your dad about this.”_

_“Heheheh! I won’t!”_

* * *

Who was that? Who was she talking to? It sounded like a young boy, but from when? She has not talked to children for years. Who was he?

PANG!

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed the dark. Muffled voices came after them, both were speaking English, their accent thick. Only pieces of their sentences managed to get into her brain.

“Boss… kill us… she almost –roke her neck.”

“Don’t say –thing then! You should have -ved the drug! Why … you use more on her?”

“So… she won’t alert… —alorant Protocol.”

“She —ave contacted them already befo—we got in there!”

Both voices belonged to men. She could not place their accent, though it sounded northern. _Who the hell are they?_

Her senses allowed her to feel herself laying on a metal floor on her back. Her weak breaths were warm and bounced back at her face. She was in a bag, she realized. A breathable one. She tried to open her eyes, but a pressure in her head forced them shut.

The next thing she knew she felt herself being carried on someone’s shoulder. Despite being in a bag, she could feel the cool nightly air of outdoors.

Along with a new voice.

“This is them?”

“Yeah,” said the one carrying her.

“Are you sure?”

“If we aren’t, we wouldn’t have gone to get them in the first place, dummy.” The third man – who sounded to be near her – replied gruffly.

“I’m just making sure. Boss is having a fit today.”

“Heh, of course she does!” smirked the third man. “These two are one of her most wanted. Now let us in!”

There was a sharp pain in her neck, and Viper’s world went empty again.

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

_I never thought you’d be so foolish, Sabine. To chase the wrong van only to be caught by the real one._

Foolish indeed. She should not have left the hospital in the first place. Sova could not fight. Killjoy brought no weapons other than her alarmbot and small grenades. If their enemies barged in the hospital, there would be a high chance they will be safe until Sova gets better.

But it didn’t happen. This did. ‘What ifs’ was an addictive thing in human nature. A thing that made reality harder to accept and adapt with. She lingered on it once. A grave mistake. She will not linger on it again.

_Get up, Sabine._

Heat bloomed from within her neck, warming her throat to the point it hurt. Her arms throbbed as though they were sending her a message about the cuts on the skin there. Her knees did not feel right. They were stiff and aching, like the times she worked in her lab for hours straight without sitting down or sitting down notetaking her theories for too long. She tried to bend them only for her ankles to meet solid metal clutching around them.

Blood rushed through her veins. Her hands jolted upwards and was stopped by metal surrounding her wrists. Confused and shocked, Viper’s eyes flew open. She found herself bound on a table almost vertically positioned. She was neither lying down or resting on her feet. A single light source directly above her lit a small square room with plain cement from the floor to the ceiling. In front of her was another room, a wider one, kept in darkness. Something long and shiny in there reflecting the light. Before Viper could make out what it was, a voice of a woman appeared.

“Look who’s awake. How fortunate it is that your neck is merely bruised. If those buffoons hadn’t let you crash the car, you would have been in … perfect condition.”

The way she said it was eerily similar to Viper herself. For a moment, she thought her personality had split into its own person. It clicked to her the woman’s accent was Russian. Like Sova’s, but lighter.

Her throat burned as she tried to say “Who are you?” Only “Who...?” managed come out.

Viper heard her smirk. “Of course! The incident did a lot to everyone who were involved. However, despite being at the heart of it, I am still surprised you survived. You and that wraith both.”

Incident? The heart of it? This woman knew about her and Omen. Who the hell was she?

“Who the hell are you?” rasped Viper.

Slow footsteps stalked from the dark room in front of her. Approaching her was a tall woman with fair slightly crinkled skin and black hair styled in formal bun. A single strand of white hair from her forehead matched her lab coat if it hadn’t been tainted with dried coloured chemicals of sort. She looked at Viper with her chin high, eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

“Remember me now?” Her tone signal Viper she wanted an answer. An answer she _wanted_ to hear.

Viper could only stare as her mind raced for a memory. None resurfaced.

“Have the crash made you nearsighted?” The woman leaned her face close to Viper’s. She held the urge to flinch. “Do you remember this face, Sabine?”

A chill went down her spine. This woman was no bounty hunter. Authorities spread her surname in the wanted list as Cypher successfully redacted her first name (as with the rest of the Protocol’s names). This woman knew her. This woman was from before…

The woman blinked and straightened her back. “Curious. Despite all those toxins and tests, you managed to escape with memory loss and all of your limbs.” She stepped around the table as she continued, like a prowling lion. “I remember my fellow scientists falling dead like flies. I remember you and Michael running away with gunfire raining down on you two. I remember the entire incident was the reason why Kingdom deserted us.”

This woman worked for Kingdom? Not surprising, though something else felt off.

“I don’t remember you.” Viper growled.

The woman scoffed. “Then I guess you have limited choices.” She faced Viper again as she stalked backwards and leaned on the shining object in the darkened room.

“What are you talking about?”

She gave a long sigh. “Sabine, Sabine. Were you not a healer? What happened to Kingdom’s most astounding paramedic they ever had? And that is not a way to talk to your superior.”

Hearing her real name from a stranger’s mouth was getting on her nerves. “Go to hell!”

At that, she smiled menacingly. “You better watch your words, Sabine,” She stride into the dark. “or else, _he_ will the one paying for it.”

White light flashed her eyes. Viper flinched at the sudden brightness, blinking to adjust. Her blood turned cold at the center where the new light was shining at.

Another table like the one holding her. On that, it was holding Sova. His skin pale, lips grey and dry, his chest heaving hard in rhythms.

Viper’s whole body jolted, rattling the restraints. The woman smiled more at her reaction.

“What have you done to him?!” yelled Viper, her throat pricking.

“I did nothing, Sabine. Your captors forgot how unsafe it is to yank off an inserted IV needle. They did not put pressure on it, and he bled out. I stopped it before he lost too much.”

Viper scanned the room for a third restrain table. “Where’s—?”

“Alexis?” The woman cut her off. “The young engineer you call Killjoy? She is no use here. Her inventions are valuable but we do not need her. She is probably still in the hospital or your dear Protocol rescued her. Probably. Doubtful she can live with such a high dose in her bloodstream.”

Viper’s blood turn colder by the second. “You piece of—” She bit her lip and turned her attention to Sova. “Get up, Sova! Get up!”

His head moved weakly to her direction, his left eye cracked open.

Viper yelled again, “Get up! I know you’re tougher than this!”

Sova didn’t respond, his eye remained open but its focus lingered away.

_Damn it! They must have drugged him, too!_

The woman was suddenly next to her. A metallic door on Sova’s side of the room slide open, pooling in blinding light and poured out several people all dressed in white hazmat suit. They surround her ill teammate as his eyes shut painfully and his face went stiff once more.

“I give you twenty-four hours to prepare, Sabine,” said the woman in hush yet clear tone, eyes hungry. “If you are the same Sabine who brought chaos to Kingdom before becoming Viper, I’m sure you would _love_ to be a part of this.” She went to Sova and leaned close to his face. “I hope you are prepared for the tests, hunter. It will be extremely painful.” The woman then walked towards the bright door and vanished.

Viper felt her entire being wanting to rip the woman to shreds. If it were not for her neck, the collar she had just realized on it, or the people in the room, or the threats against Sova, she might have tried.

A gas spewed from the ceiling and filled the room. Viper held her breath as long as she could. She watched one of the hazmat-wearing people putting a breathing mask on Sova while another set up a stand. Her throat throbbed, forcing her to cough and inhale the gas. One individual put a breathing mask on her. Through the visor, she saw their eyes glassy – full of regret.

Viper succumbed into a forced slumber.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valorant is getting a new cinematic soon! I'm so excited that Valorant's lore will be revealed next year. My concern is how all these precious fanfics will go. But until then, we'll just enjoy all these wonderful headcanons while we can.
> 
> Hope you have a great day!


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